A special Dandelion Dialogue on the fringe of Women Deliver. But this is not a fringe issue!

Across the world, women are already responding to a heating planet—adapting, innovating and holding together systems of care in the face of rising temperatures. From households to health systems, from frontline services to policy spaces, women are not only affected by climate change, they are actively shaping how we respond to it.

At the same time, the impacts of extreme heat on women’s health remain historically under-recognized, under-researched, and underfunded. From pregnancy to work, from daily care responsibilities to access to services, rising temperatures are placing growing strain on women’s bodies and on the systems that support them.

Addressing the links between climate change, heat, and women’s health is not only urgent, it is an opportunity. When we centre women’s knowledge, leadership, and lived experience in shaping solutions, we unlock benefits that extend far beyond health—strengthening families, economies, and communities.

This requires a shift: from framing women primarily as vulnerable, to recognising them as central to designing and driving the solutions we need.